City officials from the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and The Trust for Public Land joined together Tuesday morning to break ground on the Bloomingdale Trail, the signature project of Mayor Emanuel’s push to create 800 new parks, recreation areas and green spaces throughout Chicago over the next five years.

The Bloomingdale Trail, a nearly three-mile long elevated trail, will be linked to five ground-level neighborhood parks, as well as an observatory, wheel-friendly event plaza, various art installations and other amenities, to form the park and trail system known as The 606. The name is an homage to the 606 zip code prefix all Chicagoans share. The first phase of the project, including the Bloomingdale Trail, will open to the public in the fall of 2014.

The Bloomingdale Trail is a 2.7 mile, multi-use recreational trail and park system along an elevated, unused rail line. It runs west to east along Bloomingdale Avenue (1800 N), from Ridgeway Avenue (3750 W) on the west to Ashland Avenue (1600 W) on the east. The 606, with its multiple parks and other facilities in addition to the trail, serves as both an urban oasis and a community connector for the Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, and Humboldt Park neighborhoods, turning the physical barrier of old railroad embankments into a unifying park and trail system.

Funding for the project comes from a mix of federal, City, county and park district funds, as well as private donations.  The Trust for Public Land is overseeing the fundraising campaign for private donations, and individuals can contribute at www.the606.org